September 9, 2002	Monday	Rajab 1, 1423

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LANDI KOTAL, Sept 8: Two major component parties of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal — Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) — have failed to agree on the seat adjustment formula reached for NA-45 and NA-46 of the Khyber Agency.

According to the formula agreed upon by the MMA top leadership, the ticket for NA-45 was awarded to JUI (F) candidate Qazi Mohammad Ashraf, while the JI was supposed to field its candidate from NA-46. Jamaat-i-Islami awarded its ticket to Maulana Abdul Wadood, but his candidature was challenged by JUI (F) Khyber Agency Amir Maulana Khalilur Rehman.

The JUI decision to challenge JI candidate’s papers provoked Jamaat’s Landi Kotal Amir Mohammad Hasan Shinwari who filed papers for NA-45 — the seat for which the MMA awarded ticket to JUI’s Qazi Mohammad Ashraf.

However, the leadership of the two parties made efforts to avoid a direct confrontation between the two allies.

A last-ditch effort was made by a Jirga of Bara elders who invited provincial chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Prof Ibrahim and JUI (F) leader Maulana Kifayatullah to Markaz-i-Islami for a patch-up on Friday.

Prof Ibrahim reached the venue on time, but the JUI team did not turn up and thus the seat adjustment issue could not be resolved.

Later, the JI candidates announced that they would contest polls from both NA-45 and NA-46.

Talking to Dawn, Mohammad Hassan Shinwari accused the JUI (F) of backing out from the agreed formula and vowed that his party would contest on both of the Khyber Agency seats for the National Assembly.

However, his opponent from NA-45, Qazi Mohammad Ashraf was still optimistic that Mohammad Hassan would withdraw his nomination papers in his favour as negotiations were still going on to resolve the issue.

But his claim was refuted by Maulana Abdul Wadood, saying, “it is all over,” adding that his party would give JUI (F) and other opponents a tough time.

NOTICES ISSUED: The Election Commission, acting upon an appeal by Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf candidate for NA-45, Akhtar Murad, issued notices to the returning officer and Wapda to produce complete record regarding rejection of Mr Murad’s nomination papers.

Akhtar Murad’s papers were rejected by the returning officer for being a Wapda defaulter.

While appearing before the commission, Akhtar Murad emphasized that as electricity meters were not installed in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, there was no way declaring a Fata candidate Wapda defaulter. The returning officer for NA-45 rejected nomination papers of eight candidates for being Wapda defaulters.